Blog Stats

 Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17—I am a fisher of men.
 Matthew 5:13—I am the salt of the earth.
 Matthew 5:14—I am the light of the world.
* Matthew 28:19; Luke 14:27; John 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Acts 6:1, 7; 11:25-26, 29; 14:20-22; 16:1—I am a disciple of Christ.
 Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8—I am Christ’s witness.
* John 3:16-18; 10:28-29; 17:3; Romans 5:21; 6:23; 1 John 5:11—I have eternal life in Christ.
 John 8:32, 36—I am set free from sin in Christ.
 John 10:10—I have abundant life in Christ.
 John 14:26; 16:13—I have been taught all things by the Holy Spirit.
 John 14:27; 16:33—I have peace in Christ.
 John 15:3—I am clean in Christ.
 John 15:4, 5, 8, 16; Romans 7:4—I bear much lasting fruit in Christ.
 John 15:5—I am a branch abiding in Christ the Vine.
 John 15:11—My joy is complete in Christ.
 John 16:33—I have overcome the world in Christ.
 John 17:16—I am not of this world.
 Acts 2:44; 4:32—I am a believer.
 Acts 5:20—I have new life in Christ.
 Acts 8:3; 2 Corinthians 1:1—Together with all the saints, I am God’s Church.
 Acts 11:26—I am a Christian, a little Christ.
* Acts 13:39; Romans 3:24, 26, 28, 30; 4:25; 5:1, 9, 18; 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:7—I am justified freely and fully.
 Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 6:11—I am sanctified.
 Romans 1:6—I am called to belong to Christ.
* Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 6:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; 4:21, 22; Philemon 4; Jude 3—I am a saint.
* Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14—I am redeemed in Christ.
* Romans 3:21-26; 4:3, 5, 6, 9, 22, 23, 24; 5:17, 19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 3:9—I have been credited with Christ’s righteousness.
* Romans 5:17—I am a recipient of God’s abundant provision of grace.
* Romans 5:18—I have new life in Christ.
 Romans 6:2—I am dead to sin.
 Romans 6:3—I am baptized into Christ’s death.
 Romans 6:4—I am buried with Christ in his death to and over sin.
 Romans 6:4—I have been raised to new life in Christ.
 Romans 6:5—I am united with Christ in his resurrection.
 Romans 6:6—My old self is crucified with Christ.
 Romans 6:6—My body of sin has been done away with.
 Romans 6:6—I am no longer sin’s slave.
 Romans 6:7—I have been freed from sin in Christ.
 Romans 6:8—I died with Christ to sin.
 Romans 6:8—I live with Christ.
 Romans 6:11—I am dead to sin.
 Romans 6:11—I am alive to God.
 Romans 6:13—I have been brought from spiritual death to spiritual life.
 Romans 6:14—Sin shall not be my master.
 Romans 6:14—I am not under law, but under grace.
 Romans 6:18, 22—I have been set free from sin.
 Romans 6:19—I am a slave to righteousness, righteousness masters my being.
 Romans 6:22—I am a slave to God.
 Romans 7:4—I have died to the law.
 Romans 7:6—I serve Christ in the new way of the Spirit.
 Romans 7:22—My inner being delights in God’s law—his holy standards.
 Romans 7:25—In my innermost mind, I am a slave to God’s law.
 Romans 8:1—I will never suffer condemnation because I am in Christ.
 Romans 8:2—I am set free from the law of sin and death in Christ.
 Romans 8:4—I have met the righteous requirements of the law in Christ.
 Romans 8:5—My mindset is on spiritual affections and passions.
 Romans 8:9—I am not controlled by the flesh, but I am controlled by the Spirit.
 Romans 8:29—I am predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son.
 Romans 8:37—I am more than a conqueror in Christ.
* Romans 9:23—I have been prepared in advance by God to be glorious.
 Romans 10:9, 10, 13—I am saved in Christ.
 Romans 15:14—I am full of goodness in Christ.
 Romans 15:14—I am complete in knowledge in Christ.
 Romans 15:14—I am competent to disciple others in Christ.
 Romans 15:16—I am sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
 Romans 15:16—I am acceptable to God in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 1:2—I am sanctified in Christ Jesus.
 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 5:26; Colossians 3:12—I am holy in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 1:8—I am blameless in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 1:30—I am wise in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 1:30—I am holiness to God in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 2:16—I have the mind of Christ.
 1 Corinthians 3:9—I am God’s fellow worker.
 1 Corinthians 3:9—I am God’s field.
 1 Corinthians 3:9—I am God’s building.
 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16—I am God’s sacred temple.
* 1 Corinthians 6:11—I am washed in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 6:19—I am the temple of the Holy Spirit.
 1 Corinthians 6:20—I have been bought and redeemed with a price.
* 2 Corinthians 2:14—Christ always leads me in a triumphal victory march.
 2 Corinthians 3:6—I am a competent minister of the new covenant in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 3:10—In Christ I have surpassing, lasting glory.
 2 Corinthians 3:18—I am a growing reflection of the Lord’s glory.
* 2 Corinthians 3:18—I am increasingly being transformed into Christ’s likeness.
 2 Corinthians 4:16—I am being renewed inwardly day by day in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 5:17—I am a new creation in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 5:18—I am a minister of reconciliation.
 2 Corinthians 5:20—I am Christ’s ambassador.
 2 Corinthians 5:21—I have the righteousness of God in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 8:9—I am spiritually rich in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 11:2—I am Christ’s spiritually pure virgin.
 Galatians 1:4—I have been rescued from this present evil age.
 Galatians 2:20—I am crucified with Christ.
 Galatians 3:13-14—I am redeemed from the curse.
 Galatians 6:1—I am spiritual in Christ.
 Ephesians 1:1—I am faithful in Christ.
 Ephesians 1:4—I have been chosen to be holy in Christ.
 Ephesians 1:4—I have been chosen to be blameless in Christ.
* Ephesians 1:17-19—I have God’s resurrection power actively working in me.
 Ephesians 2:5—I am alive with Christ.
 Ephesians 2:5, 8—I am saved by grace.
 Ephesians 2:6—I have been raised up with Christ.
 Ephesians 2:6—I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.
 Ephesians 2:10—I am Christ’s workmanship, his opus, his poem, his masterpiece.
 Ephesians 2:10—I was prepared in advance in Christ Jesus to do good works.
 Ephesians 2:15—Together with all the saints, I am a new person in Christ.
 Ephesians 2:21—Along with all the saints, I am God’s holy temple.
* Ephesians 2:22—I am a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
* Ephesians 3:16—I am strengthened with power through God’s Spirit.
* Ephesians 3:17—Christ dwells in my heart.
 Ephesians 3:17—I am rooted and established in love.
 Ephesians 3:18—I have power to grasp God’s great love for me in Christ.
 Ephesians 3:19—I am filled to the measure of all the fullness of God in Christ.
 Ephesians 3:20—Christ’s immeasurable resurrection power is at work within me.
* Ephesians 4:13—I am maturing to the full measure of the fullness of Christ.
 Ephesians 4:22—My old self is put off in Christ.
 Ephesians 4:23—I have been made new in the attitude of my mind in Christ.
 Ephesians 4:24—My new self is put on in Christ.
 Ephesians 4:24—I am created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
 Ephesians 5:8—I am now light in the Lord.
 Ephesians 5:9—The fruit of my life is goodness, righteousness, and truth.
 Ephesians 5:26—I am cleansed in Christ
 Ephesians 5:26—I am washed in Christ.
 Ephesians 5:27—Together with the Bride of Christ, I am presentable, radiant, ​without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
 Philippians 2:1—I am united with Christ.
 Philippians 2:1—I am in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
* Philippians 2:13—God works in me to accomplish his good purposes.
 Philippians 2:15—I am blameless and pure, a child of God without fault.
 Philippians 2:15—I shine like the stars in the universe in Christ.
 Philippians 3:9—I have a righteousness that comes from faith in Christ.
 Philippians 3:10—Christ’s resurrection power conforms me to his image.
 Philippians 3:20—My citizenship is in heaven.
 Philippians 4:13—I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
* Philippians 4:19—God meets all my needs through his riches in Christ Jesus.
 Colossians 1:2—I am a holy and faithful brother/sister in Christ.
* Colossians 1:12—I am qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints.
* Colossians 1:13—I have been rescued from the dominion of darkness.
* Colossians 1:13—I have been transported into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
* Colossians 1:22—I am holy in God’s sight, without blemish, and free from accusation.
 Colossians 2:10—I have been given fullness in Christ.
 Colossians 2:11—My old sinful nature/man/self/person has been put off.
 Colossians 2:12—I have been buried with Christ in baptism.
 Colossians 2:12—I have been raised with Christ from the dead.
 Colossians 2:13—God made me alive with Christ.
 Colossians 2:14-15—In Christ, sin is defeated and disarmed in my life.
 Colossians 2:20—I died with Christ to the world.
 Colossians 3:1—I have been raised with Christ.
 Colossians 3:3—I died with Christ.
 Colossians 3:3—My life is now hidden with Christ in God.
 Colossians 3:9—I have taken off the old self with its practices.
 Colossians 3:10—I have put on the new self in Christ.
* Colossians 3:10—The new me in Christ is being renewed in knowledge in the image of the Creator.
 1 Thessalonians 3:13—I am blameless and holy before God’s presence.
 1 Thessalonians 5:23—God is sanctifying me through and through.
 1 Thessalonians 5:23—God keeps my whole spirit, soul, and body blameless.
 2 Thessalonians 2:14—I am called to share in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 2 Timothy 1:7—God placed within me his spirit of power, love, and wisdom.
 2 Timothy 2:3-4—I am a good soldier in Jesus Christ.
 2 Timothy 2:5—I am a victorious athlete in Jesus Christ.
 2 Timothy 2:6—I am a disciplined, hard working farmer in Jesus Christ.
 Titus 3:5—I am saved, washed, re-birthed, and renewed in Christ and by the ​Spirit.
 Hebrews 1:3—I am purified from sin in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 2:10—I am brought to glory in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 2:11—I am made holy in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 7:25—I am saved completely.
 Hebrews 8:10; 10:16—God’s law is in my mind, written on my heart.
 Hebrews 9:12—I have eternal redemption in Christ.
 Hebrews 9:14—My conscience is cleansed in Christ.
 Hebrews 9:15—I am set free from sin in Christ.
 Hebrews 9:26-27—My sins are done away with and taken away in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 10:2—I am cleansed once for all, guiltless in Christ.
 Hebrews 10:10—I have been made holy once for all by Christ’s sacrifice.
 Hebrews 10:14—I have been made perfect forever in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 10:22—I am cleansed and washed in Christ.
 1 Peter 1:3—I am born again, given new birth in Christ.
* 1 Peter 1:18-19—I am redeemed from my old empty way of life by Christ’s precious blood.
 1 Peter 1:22—I am purified by faith in Christ.
 1 Peter 1:23—I have been born again of imperishable seed.
 1 Peter 2:5—I am a living stone, being built into a spiritual house.
 1 Peter 2:5—Along with all the saints, I am a holy priesthood.
 1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a chosen people.
 1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a member of a royal priesthood.
 1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a citizen of a holy nation.
 1 Peter 2:9-10—Along with all the saints, I am a people belonging to God.
 1 Peter 2:9—I am called out of darkness into Christ’s wonderful light.
* 2 Peter 1:3—God’s Divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness.
* 2 Peter 1:4—Through God’s great and precious promises I participate in the Divine nature.
* 2 Peter 1:4—Through God’s great and precious promises I have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
* 1 John 2:20—I have an anointing from the Holy One and I know the truth.
* 1 John 4:4—I have overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil because greater is he who is in me, than he who is in the world.
 1 John 4:4, 6—I am from God.
 1 John 4:7; 5:1—I am born of God.
 1 John 5:4-5—Born of God, I overcome the world by faith in Christ.
 Jude 24—I stand before God’s glorious presence without fault and with great joy.
 Revelation 1:5—I am freed from my sins by Christ’s blood.
* Revelation 1:6—God has made me, together with all the saints, a kingdom of priests.
* Revelation 19:7-8, 14—Along with all the saints, I am the pure Bride of Christ, clean, white, and righteous.

Are You Thirsty?
07/16/2009
In the gospel of John, Jesus extends the offer to anyone who realizes that his life just isn’t touching his deep desire: “If you are thirsty, come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within” (John 7:37–38 NLT). His message wasn’t something new, but it confounded the religious leaders of the day. Surely, those scripturally learned Jews must have recalled God’s long-standing invitation to them, spoken seven hundred years earlier through the prophet Isaiah,

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
(55:1–2)

Somehow, the message had gotten lost by the time Jesus showed up on the scene. The Jews of his day were practicing a very soul-killing spirituality, a lifeless religion of duty and obligation. Desire was out of the question. No wonder they feared Jesus. He came along and started appealing to desire. To the weary, Jesus speaks of rest. To the lost, he speaks of finding your way. Again and again and again, Jesus takes people back to their desires. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7). These are outrageous words, provocative words. Ask, seek, knock—these words invite and arouse desire. What is it that you want? They fall on deaf ears if there is nothing you want, nothing you’re looking for, nothing you’re hungry enough to bang on a door over.

Being unable to defeat God through raw power, Satan’s legions decide to wound God as deeply as possible by stealing the love of his Beloved through seduction. And having “seduced them to his party,” to ravish them body and soul; and having ravished them, to mock them even as they are hurled to the depths of hell with God himself unable to save them because of their rejection of him. This is Satan’s motivation and goal for every man, woman, and child into whom God ever breathed the breath of life. Like a roaring lion, he “hungers” for us.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8–9)

God could have given up on the love affair with mankind. He could have resorted to power and demanded our loyalty, or given us a kind of spiritual lobotomy that would take away our choice to love him. Even now, he could easily obliterate our Enemy and demand the allegiance of our hearts, but the love affair that began in the laughter of the Trinity would be over, at least for us. And Satan’s accusation that the kingdom of God is established only through raw power would be vindicated.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)

One of the words which has come into wide use (actually misuse) in our generation is the word “charisma,” along with its derivative “charismatic.” We speak of a politician as having charisma, or a charismatic personality, for example. Another common use of “charismatic” refers to those who practice speaking in tongues. But these are not the true meanings of these words, at least not in terms of their original usage.

This latter usage, in particular, comes from the inclusion of tongues as one of the “gifts” of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1, 28). The Greek word is charisma. It does not mean “tongues,” and neither does it mean an outgoing and articulate manner. It simply means “gift,” or better, “free gift,” a classic example being Romans 6:23: “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Charisma, in turn, comes from charis, which means “grace,” and is usually so translated. For example, in the words of our text, if the “word of Christ dwell|s| in us richly,” we shall be “singing with grace in |our| hearts.” Furthermore, just a few verses further on, we are admonished to “let your speech be always with grace” (Colossians 4:6). Then, Paul concludes the Colossian epistle with: “Grace be with you. Amen” (v. 18).

Thus, true grace in our hearts will produce grace in our speech, and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will always be with us! This is the true charisma! A truly charismatic person is a gracious person–one to whom “God is able to make all grace abound” so that he or she, “always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). HMM